The Blazing Wings
by Wings Ablazed
Summary: A tiny kit's family is murdered, and Thunderclan takes her in. The shadows are watching, and the young cat must watch her back in order to survive. But she has a great destiny, one that will either lead the clans into peace, or plunge the clans into darkness.
1. The Tragedy

**(Hello! I'm not quite sure what to put here... Enjoy the story...?)**

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><p>A light ginger she-cat glanced over her shoulder as she disappeared into the undergrowth. She placed the bundle of fur down, desperately trying to catch her breath. She nudged the tiny huddles over to the trunk of a great tree, hoping to hide them.<p>

"Please, don't leave from here, and don't make any noise," she begged her children as she nudged a tiny ginger tabby into a hole in the tree.

"Why not mommy?" The little kit asked after it tumbled down, placing its paws on the wall of the inside of the tree.

The mother nudged its head down. "Sh, we're playing a game!" She whispered, trying to fool the kit as she tried to gather the other two and put them in with the hidden kit.

"Ooh! I love games! Is daddy playing?" The kit was patiently waiting for its siblings.

The mother bristled. "Yes! He's trying to find you, so you must stay hidden."

An angry howl pierced the air. "Where are you? I'm going to find you, and you are going to regret what you've done!"

The mother's eyes widened in fear, her paws fumbling as she tried to push the other two kits in the tree. "Please, go in," she begged, her voice cracking. But the kits were too excited and wouldn't stop tumbling out of the tree and over her paws.

The bushes rustled, and a large, dark tabby tom stalked through. "Where do you think you are going?" He snarled, raking his claws over the mother.

The kits squealed in fear, and the mother began to sob. "Please, don't hurt them," she begged, crouching low over the kits. "Kill me, but please let them go."

The tom didn't listen. "Its too late! I'm going to get my revenge! You stoll them from me!" He snarled, pouncing onto the mothers back. He curled his claws into her spine, blood welling up and spilling out onto the ground.

The weight caused the mother to crumple to the ground. "N-no... You were... Going to raise them to be evil." She choked, her mind going fuzzy as she felt a warm liquid pour onto the ground and pool around her.

The kits were too scared to run away, and they lay huddled against the tree, watching their mother slowly die. Inside the tree, the ginger kit was pressed up against the trunk, hoping the yowls of pain would stop. It closed its eyes tightly, praying it was only a dream.

"No! I would have made them ambitious! They would have been powerful!" He hissed, but the mother couldn't hear him. She was gone, her eyes glazed over and all life evaporated from her body. He scrambled off of her. "Fox dung! She would have been easy to manipulate... And now the kits will never listen. I must dispose of them."

He whirled around, stalking towards the shivering kits. He lifted his paw, his claws glinting with blood in the moonlight. When he brought it down, the air split with a squealing cry, but it was cut off suddenly. From within the tree, the tiny kit lay huddled in the shadows, listening as it heard a large mass being dragged along to ground until it was out of earshot.

"Mommy? Sissy? Brother?" It shivered in the shadows, praying it mother would come and lift it out.


	2. The Discovery

A Thunderclan dawn patrol scouted around the northern parts of the territory. It had been a few sunrises after the murder, and neither the kit nor the bodies had been discovered.

"Squirrelflight, we really should head back down to the lake shore. Nothing ever really happens up here," a large, muscular golden tabby advised, pointing his tail back where they had come from.

"I know," the white pawed deputy meowed a bit sharply. "But Rowanstar isn't dumb. He may plan on trying to take this territory if we don't mark the borders frequently."

"Yes Squirrelflight." Lionblaze licked his chest fur, a bit embarrassed he hasn't thought of that.

After thoroughly marking the borders, they made their way down to the lake.

Squirrelflight suddenly lifted her tail in alarm, signalling for the patrol to stop. She sniffed the air suspiciously. "Wait here. Cherryfall, come with me." The patrol stared after them, occasionally sharing confused looks.

Squirrelflight quietly stalked over to a tree, her nose twitching. "Blood, the ground is stained." She growled, beginning to inspect the area.

Cherryfall narrowed her eyes, and approached the large tree that stood by the bloodstained ground. She placed her ear against the trunk. After a few moments, she gasped sharply. "Squirrelflight!" She yowled, gaining the attention of the deputy. "There's something in there!" She quickly whipped her tail around to point at the tree.

Squirrelflight bolted over as quickly as she could, and began to claw at the base of the trunk where the small hole resided. The rest of the patrol bounded over, claws unsheathed and prepared for battle.

"We heard Cherryfall yowl. Is everything alright?" Lionblazed asked, checking over Cherryfall for injuries.

"There's something in the tree! And it smells like blood! Cat blood!" Cherryfall blurted, turning her nose to point at where Squirrelflight had her head in the tree. "There was a fight. A _cat_ fight."

Squirrelflight pulled her head out of the tree, a ginger bundle in her jaws. "Its a kit!" She growled, a bit confused, between the bundle of fur. It was shivering, and its bones poked through its skin. It barely seemed to be alive.

"We have to take it to Bramblestar." Cherryfall meowed, sniffing the kit. She hoped Squirrelflight would agree, she couldn't bare the thought of leaving it out to die.

"Of course," Lionblaze spoke up from where he was looking over the area. "The warrior code wouldn't allow us to let us die."

Squirrelflight nodded, and the patrol bounded back to camp, carrying a half-dead kit.

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><p>"Squirrelflight, what's wrong?" Bramblestar jumped down from the highledge, where he had previously been sunning himself. His eyes were narrowed, curious as to what happened.<p>

Squirrelflight placed the ginger kit on the ground. "We found this kit hidden in a tree. The ground around the tree was bloodstained, but it smelt more like rogue blood, and it didn't have the same scent as clan cats do." She explained.

"I see. We will talk about this together Squirrelflight, but for now, a Queen will need to take it in." He said sternly.

Cinderheart spoke up from where she was sitting, her kits watching with round, curious eyes at her paws. "I can take it in. I still have milk left."

Bramblestar's eyes seemed to relax a little. "Thank you Cinderheart." He nodded. "Come Squirrelflight, we need to discuss this matter." He bounded over to his den, disappearing behind the lichen, Squirrelflight close behind.

Cherryfall quickly picked up the kit, and carried it over to Cinderheart. "Thank you." She meowed after she had set the kit down.

Cinderheart simply shook her head right before picking it up. "I would never let a kit starve." She gathered the kit up and padded into the nursery, her kits tumbling after her.

Once inside, Cinderheart laid down and began to coax the kit to suckle. "Come on, you must be hungry." She purred, her voice smooth. She let out a sigh of relief once it began to suckle. "A she-cat." She purred quietly.

The kit had sharp emerald eyes, and her pelt was a bright, flame color. She had tabby markings, though they were barely visible. She had white paws, and the tip of her tail was white as well.

"When can she play with us?" Sorrelkit mewed excitedly. She was standing behind her mother, along with Fernkit.

"Soon, but she needs to heal and get stronger. She's been through a lot, and she hasn't eaten for a while." Though Cinderheart's voice was calm, it was still laced with worry. She felt Fernkit stiffle a yawn, and she tried not to smile. "Besides, you two are tired. Get some rest." She gently touched both of their heads with her nose.

"No no... We aren't tired..." Sorrelkit protested, though she was already curling up besides Cinderheart.

"Nice try, but you two have been playing nonstop today." Cinderheart laughed softly. She nudged Fernkit over to Sorrelkit, and the two kits were asleep in no time.

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><p><strong>(I hope this chapter didn't feel too rushed... Well, good thing I have the 3rd chapter already written! I had them pre-written before I had submitted the first chapter :D)<strong>


	3. The Warning

A dark, muscular tabby tom sat in his nest, watching as his deputy and mate sat in front of him. His tail was curled neatly around his paws.

"Bramblestar, you mustn't leave it clanless," the deputy spoke, breaking the silence. "It will starve!"

Bramblestar shook his head. "I know, I know. It's just..." He trailed off. "The other clans are right. We take in any loner or kittypet without hesitation. Thunderclan is mostly non-clan blood."

"But it doesn't matter! The warrior code says we must show mercy to kits!" Squirrelflight argued, determined not to let the kit starve or freeze- possibly even prey to hungry foxes or badgers. "Besides, we could just say... This is Cinderheart's other kit!"

Bramblestar flicked his tail. "That might work... We'll have to watch out about telling the other clans. We can't afford to look weak!"

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><p><em>One Moon Later<em>

"Come on Flamekit! Sandstorm finally agreed to tell us a story!" Fernkit called. She was standing in front of the Elder's den, her tail waving happily.

The tiny kit that had been discovered, and made a miraculous recovery. Cinderheart had named her Flamekit, after the color of her pelt. Bramblestar hadn't mentioned her at the gathering, but that didn't bother anyone. They were glad that word hadn't slipped. What would the coans think if they had taken in another loner? Though Flamekit didn't remember her siblings or mother, she only remembers being seriously ill. She had once eavesdropped on Jayfeather's conversation with Bramblestar, and she heard him muttering something about "the shock messing with her memories" but the words had quickly left her mind. She believed she was Cinderheart's daughter, and that was all that mattered.

"You guys go on without me! It always smells like herbs in there!" Flamekit yowled back, beginning to make her way into the Warrior's den. Fernkit had disappeared into the Elder's den, muttering something.

Flamekit carefully placed a paw into the Warrior's den. The scent of other cats was stale, but still strong. "Wow..." She gasped. "The nests are huge!"

"You shouldn't be in here, you know." Flamekit whipped around, relieved to find only Riverpaw, Squirrelflight's son. "You aren't a warrior yet." Though his voice was serious, it was still sprinkled with amusement.

"I'll be in here soon though!" She puffed out her chest, but she was tiny compared to the apprentice. "I'm almost six moons old!"

Riverpaw chuckled, lightly cuffing her around the ears. "Well, then you'll be an apprentice. Not a warrior."

Flamekit rolled her eyes. "Apprentice, Warrior. Same thing!" She laughed, and began to scramble out of the den. "Well, I got to go! I don't want to get caught! I don't want to clean the elders for ticks again!" Once she was outside, she saw Cinderheart emerge from the Medicine Cat's nose She flicked her ears up happily.

"Mom! Why were you in there? Are you sick?" Flamekit bounded over to Cinderheart, looking her over in check for injuries or fever.

Cinderheart purred, and bent down to lick Flamekit on the head. "No dear. Jayfeather just... Wanted to say something." Even though she was calm, it didn't cover the nervousness laced in her meow.

Flamekit narrowed her eyes, but bought it anyway. "Well, if you're OK, then come with me to see Sandstorm and Graystripe! Hopefully they'll still have stories left!"

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><p><em>What really happened in the den<em>

_Ci_nderheart nosed pass the lichen, her eyes blinking in curiosity. "Jayfeather? Briarlight said you wanted to see me."

Jayfeather looked up from where he was sorting herbs. "Ah. Yes. Sit down." He glanced to a nest, almost as if he could actually see it. He shook the poppy seeds off of his paws, and padded over to where Cinderheart is now sitting.

"What's the matter? I haven't seen anyone sick lately, and my kits are fine." She stared at Jayfeather, her blue eyes clouded with confusion.

"Hold on!" He snapped. "I haven't said anything yet." He sighed, his fur lying flat again. "Yes. Your kits are fine. But it's one I am concerned about- Flamekit. I've seen Bluestar, and she spoke to me about Flamekit the last Half-moon."

Cinderheart narrowed her eyes. She was glad that Jayfeather was telling her early, as the last Half-moon was a few nights ago. But what could Bluestar possibly have said?

_As soon as Jayfeather touched his nose to the icy water, the world swirled around him. He was falling, and he could see stars at the edge of his vision. He closed his eyes tightly until he could feel solid ground under his paws. He let out a sigh, looking around. A starry, shimmering pelt appeared before him._

_"Bluestar?" He called out, bounding towards the young Starclan cat. "You don't usually visit me. Where's Yellowfang?" He swung his head around, looking for the flat faced medicine cat._

_Bluestar shook her head. "That is because of the reason I am here." She looked up, staring into Jayfeather's brilliant blue eyes. "I am here to deliver a warning."_

_Jayfeather took a paw-step forward. "A warning? I thought that when Firestar died, the clans were at peace!"_

_Bluestar shook her head once again. "We cannot see into the future. We only receive bits and pieces. We did not for see this coming."_

_Jayfeather blinked on confusion. "Well, what is it?" He pressed, growing impatient._

_"A young, flaming Warrior will decide the fate of the clans. A storm is brewing, lead by one cat. The flaming Warrior will either be the clan's guiding fire, or plunge the clans into darkness." Bluestar meowed, her eyes making it seem as she was calling upon ancient memories._

_Jayfeather snorted. "What's with it with Starclan and fire cats? Besides, that doesn't sound much like a prophecy."_

_Bluestar flicked her ear, obviously not too amused at his comment. "I never said it was a prophecy," she meowed, her voice hinted with an edge. "I came with a warning."_

_Jayfeather opened his jaws to speak, when suddenly the ground disappeared below him. As he fell, he managed to get one last glance at Bluestar, but all he saw was a sense of foreboding._

Once he had finished, he could tell Cinderheart was kneading her paws in worry.

"Its obviously about Flamekit!" She silently wailed, but it seemed as if she was talking to herself. "Oh Jayfeather, what are we going to do?" She looked up at the blind cat, her eyes brimmed with worry.

Jayfeather shook his head, and turned around. "Nothing for now. I shall speak with Bramblestar later, but you must be going. I still have to sort my herbs." He meowed sharply as he padded away, continuing to count Poppy Seeds.

Cinderheart wanted to say something, to protest, but it was obvious Jayfeather was done, and wouldn't talk anymore. With a defeated sigh, she turned around.

"Well, thanks any way." She began to leave the den, but she froze. "What should I say to Flamekit?" She asked, craning her neck over her shoulder.

"Nothing. Let her believe she is a normal Warrior." He replied, not looking up from his herbs.

Cinderheart said nothing more, and she left the den.

_'Oh Flamekit, please be safe!'_

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><p><strong>(How was it? Did I end it alright? Oh, and thanks for those kind reviews! They make me feel so warm :D)<strong>


	4. The Ceremony

**(Hey guys! I remembered I have never mentioned Hollykit, so I'll make something up! Enjoy the chapter!)**

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><p>Flamekit laid huddled right outside the nursery. With every breath she took, a white puff clouded her vision for a moment before drifting away. Leaf-bare had arrived early, taking all the clans by surprise.<p>

"W-when is Bramblestar going to come out?" Fernkit was pressed up against Flamekit, violently shivering every three seconds. Today was Sorrelkit's, Fernkit's, and Flamekit's apprentice ceremony, and they decided to stay outside to watch for the leader and be prepared to become apprentices.

"I don't know... Hopefully soon." Flamekit shivered, her teeth chattering. Their fur was slick from Cinderheart's grooming, not helping with trying to keep warm.

Sorrelkit suddenly leaped to her paws after remaining silent for so long. Her tail was waving, and her eyes wide and gleaming with excitement. "There he is!" She skidded over to the clearing, one of her paws slipping from underneath her, causing her to tumble the rest of the way.

Bramblestar watched with amusement from the highrock, his tail swaying back and forth as Cinderheart bolted put of the nursery to re-groom Sorrelkit. Flamekit and Fernkit scrambled after Sorrelkit, a bit more gracefully as they slid right underneath Bramblestar in anticipation, their eyes sparkling.

"Mom! Stop!" Sorrelkit whined, ripping herself away from Cinderheart. "The ceremony is about to start!" She bounded over to Fernkit's side, Cinderheart following to give them all one last groom.

"Exactly," she meowed, all knowingly. "That's why you need to look presentable." She gave them all one lick on their head's, and then padded over to sit at the side of the clearing, her eyes shining with pride.

"Every cat old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the highrock for a meeting!" Bramblestar's voice rang out loud and clear, and all the Warriors and Apprentices padded out from their den's to watch the ceremony. Even Graystripe, Sandstorm and Purdy came out to watch, yet they didn't go very far from their dens.

Bramblestar smiled warmly, and Flamekit felt as if the cold, harsh weather of early Leaf-bare had been whipped away. She looked around for her Lionblaze, and her heart swelled up in her chest when she saw him sitting next to Cinderheart, his eyes just as full as pride.

"Pay attention!" Sorrelkit hissed, lightly cuffing Flamekit around the ear. That was when Flamekit noticed another kit. A black one, smaller than Sorrelkit.

_'Hollykit!'_ Flamekit's eyes widened in surprise. Hollykit was her other sister, but she had only heard about her. Apparently, she had fallen horribly ill with Green-cough, and took a long time to recover. Flamekit was surprised that she was being made an apprentice now, because Hollykit looked so small, almost as if she had just recovered. Yet, Flamekit couldn't help but notice the shine in Hollykit's eyes, as if she couldn't believe this was actually happening, a look of pure joy.

Hollykit must have noticed Flamekit staring at her, because she quickly blinked in embarrassment. Hollykit seemed to focus on something behind Flamekit, and when Flamekit turned around, she almost gasped in surprise. Jayfeather had a look of pride on his face, and that was saying something! Maybe the grumpy Medicine cat had taken a liking to the kit?

"Ahem?" Bramblestar coughed from where he was standing, and both him and Squirrelflight had a look of amusement etched across their faces.

Flamekit quickly licked her chest in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered, glancing down at her paws for a moment.

"Today, I will perform one of my favorite duties as a clan leader." Bramblestar took a step forward, his paws flexing at the edge of the highrock. "Hollykit, step forward." A look of emotion flashed across his face, almost as if he were remembering a warm moment.

Hollykit stepped forward nervously, her paws shaking. She glanced over at Jayfeather, and he gave her a nod of encouragement. She shook her head, and took in a deep breath.

"Hollykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Hollypaw." For a brief moment, he raked his gaze across the clan. "Your mentor will be me."

Flamekit felt a stab of envy. Hollypaw got the clan leader as a mentor! She was going to be one of the most trusted, and well taught Warriors in the clan!

Bramblestar continued on. "I, am ready to take on an apprentice. I have received excellent training from Firestar, and I will be the mentor of Hollypaw. And I will pass on all I know to Hollypaw." He jumped down to touch noses with Hollypaw, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. She shakily reached up and touched noses with her new mentor, and Bramblestar quickly jumped back up to the highrock to continue the ceremony.

"Fernkit, step forward." Fernkit scrambled around Hollypaw, who went too sit next to Flamekit, eyes still wide. "Fernkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Fernpaw."

Fernpaw slightly puffed out her chest, her tail waving happily as she wondered who her mentor would be.

"Your mentor will be Blossomfall," Bramblestar nodded to Blossomfall, who bounded up proudly. "Blossomfall, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Hazeltail, and you have shown yourself to be loyal, and honest. You will be the mentor of Fernpaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Blossomfall reached down to touch noses with Fernpaw, who bounced up excitedly and stood on her toes to touch noses with her mentor. Blossomfall turned away, and padded back a bit to sit out of the way.

Sorrelkit padded forward, before Bramblestar had even said anything. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, and her paws seemed to be ahead of her own head.

"Sorrelkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Sorrelpaw." Sorrelpaw looked over her shoulder, her eyes looking across crowd, trying to guess who her new mentor will be.

"Your mentor will be Molewhisker." Bramblestar flicked his tail, and Molewhisker strutted forward, his chest puffed out. "Molewhisker, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Rosepetal, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strong. You will be the mentor of Sorrelpaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Before Molewisker could even react, Sorrelpaw jumped up and touched noses with him, but maybe a little bit too hard.

"Ow!" He rubbed his nose, looking down at Sorrelpaw. "Looks like I'll have my paws full for a while!" His voice was covered with amusement, and pride.

"Sorry!" The tips of Sorrelpaw's ears turned red, and she went to go sit next to Fernpaw and Hollypaw. Now, all that's left is Flamekit.

"Flamekit, step forward." Flamekit thought she had imagined it, but she thought she had heard a murmur of surprise from the clan.

"Flamekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw." Flamepaw's mouth went dry. It was time! She felt as though she had waited forever for this!

"Your mentor will be Brightheart." The one-eyed Warrior stepped forward shyly, never making eye-contact with Flamepaw. "Brightheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Whitestorm, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strong. You will be the mentor of Flamepaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Brightheart bent down and touched noses with Flamepaw, her eyes darting away. When they pulled away, the clan broke out into cheer.

"Hollypaw! Fernpaw! Sorrelpaw! Flamepaw!" Their voices seemed to reach the sky, and Flamepaw was sure their would be complaints from other clans.

As the cheering died away, Flamepaw looked around. What should she do first?

"Congratulations." Her fur spiked up, and she whirled around, her fur lying flat once she saw who it was.

"Riverpaw, you really need to stop scaring me!" She whined, licking her chest.

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled. He turned around, and bounded off to the apprentice's den, his gray tabby coat rippling. "Come on! I'll show you where you sleep!"

She quickly followed him, and once she stepped inside the den, she instantly felt the difference. There was no warm, milky smell, and it was smaller. Riverpaw flicked his tail to a nest near the back.

"Here, you can sleep next to me," he purred, sitting on his nest. Flamepaw sat on her new nest, sweeping her gaze across the den.

She opened her jaws to say something, until Brightheart poked her head in.

"Come on Flamepaw, we're going to explore the territory," she meowed and padded out, Flamepaw following suit.

As they padded out of camp, Brightheart began to speak again. "Look, I'm sorry. No one wants a half-blind mentor. But I promise I will try my best to teach you." As she said this, she stared at her paws, and her tone was angry- angry at herself.

"Don't be sorry!" Flamepaw's eyes widened. "I think you're really cool! I heard you once tried to fight off dogs! And how good you fight!"

Brightheart's eyes shone. "Really? Well, I promise, I'll make you the best Warrior there is!" She puffed out her chest, her mood seeming to have changed for the better.

Flamepaw flicked her ears upward, bounding forward to keep up with her mentor. "I know you will!"

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><p><strong>(How was it? I also want to add, Squirrelflight has 2 kids; Riverpaw and Sunpaw. They're both toms!)<strong>


	5. The Gathering

**(Hey guys! I plan on making Hollypaw have a disability. A lot of people I see making Hollykit headcannons make Hollykit seem really cool and awesome, and I don't doubt that she isn't. But I want this story to be unique. So I'll add a twist! Also, expect more chapters, its Winter Break! And I'll be writing another story as well. I'm not going to say to go and read it, but this is more of a reminder to myself!)**

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><p>Dark clouds lingered heavily over camp. Flamepaw was snoozing in her den, curled up next to her sisters, well, her <em>foster <em>sisters.

"Flamepaw! Fernpaw! Sorrelpaw! All of you!" Brightheart poked her head into the den, her fur ruffled against the cold. "Bramblestar is about to announce the cats for the gathering."

Flamepaw lifted her head groggily, feeling her surrounding heat vanish as Fernpaw and Sorrelpaw bolted out of the den, excited for the gathering. Hollypaw didn't say anything, but rather gingerly poked Flamepaw on the shoulder then bounded out.

"Fine, I'm coming." Flamepaw groaned, lumbering out of the den. Riverpaw was already out there, and her sisters were gathered around Bramblestar, their eyes eager.

"... And Sunpaw, Riverpaw, Flamepaw, Hollypaw, Sorrelpaw, and Fernpaw will be attending the gathering." Bramblestar finished up the announcement, already beginning to set out of camp, Squirrelflight by his flank.

"Finally! You sleep like that's the only thing you do!" Flamepaw heard her mentor snort. Brightheart appeared next to her, still in the process of rolling her eyes. "Are you excited for your first gathering?"

Flamepaw's eyes widened, her claws sinking into the ground as she got a rush of excitement. "You bet I am!"

Brightheart smiled warmly, and looked ahead, her muscles rippling under her pelt.

Flamepaw felt a pelt brush up against her's. She turned her head, happy to see her sister, Fernpaw, by her side. Fernpaw's eyes were gleaming, full of excitement.

"I wonder what the other clans are like! I wonder if they're big! And if they're nice!" She bounced lightly on her paws.

Flampaw rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know if they're nice. I think that Shadowclan might be mean though."

"Well duh!" Fernpaw laughed slightly, eyes lighting up even more as the island came into view. She bounded ahead, leaving Flamepaw behind.

Once the reached the bridge, Flamepaw glanced nervously at Brightheart. The dark water was swirling undernesth, making the apprentice sick to the stomach.

"Brightheart? I don't think I can make it..." Flamepaw's voice worried, and Brightheart noddednin understanding.

"Here, go in front of me. I'll catch you if you fall." Brightheart stepped to the side, allowing Flamepaw to cross. Flamepaw heaved herself onto the tree, her claws clinging desperately to the bark. Her fur ruffled, she slowly and stiffly made her way to the other side.

"Good. A bit slow, but you did it!" Brightheart meowed proudly. "Go on, I'm sure Sunpaw or Riverpaw will show you the others."

Flamepaw gasped as soon as she saw the other clans. There were so many cats! Some smelled fishy, which she guessed was Riverclan. Some smelled like heather and were skinny, which she knew were Windclan, she had met them on a border patrol before. And then there were the cats that seemed like they were always ticked off. She knew that was Shadowclan.

Flamepaw nodded enthusiastically. She bounded ahead, coming up to Hollypaw, who glanced around nervously. She didn't say anything, and went to sit at the edge of the clearing. Flamepaw watched her sadly, but was distracted when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Come on! Sunpaw is going to show us the other apprentices!" Sorrelpaw was at her shoulder, and lead her over to where Sunpaw, Riverpaw, and Fernpaw were sitting, chatting with apprentices.

Sunpaw waved his tail once he caught sight of Flamepaw and Sorrelpaw. "There you are!"

Flamepaw sat next to Fernpaw, and Sorrelpaw next to Sunpaw. There were three other apprentices, a pretty red she-cat, a scrawny black tom, and an average sized gray tom.

"I'm Thornpaw!" The scrawny apprentice piped up. "I'm from Shadowclan! The strongest clan!" He puffed out his chest, but he didn't look to intimidating.

The pretty she-cat rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know, Windclan is the strongest." She snorted. "I'm Eaglepaw, of Windclan."

The gray tom just blinked calmly. "I'm Stonepaw. Nice to meet you."

Fernpaw flicked her ear happily, the next to speak. "I'm Fernpaw, and this is my sister," she waved her tail at Flamepaw, who gave a light smile. "Flamepaw, and my other sister, Sorrelpaw."

Sorrelpaw smirked, and flicked her tail in greeting.

Riverpaw opened his jaws to speak, but he was cut off as Rowanstar began the gathering.

"Shadowclan has been doing just fine this moon, and prey has been running well." He announced proudly, sweeping his gaze across the clans, especially his.

Mistystar spoke next. "Riverclan has been doing good as well, and hasn't suffered the affects of sudden Leaf-bare." She nodded her head, signalling for Onestar to speak next.

"Windclan is well, but we lost an elder." Onestar called, and a mutter of mourning arroused from the clans.

Bramblestar spoke proudly, happy about his news. "Thunderclan is doing great, prey is running well, and we have four new apprentices. Sorrelpaw, Fernpaw, Flamepaw, and Hollypaw." His voice was warm as he looked down at the apprentices, but as flash of confusion crossed his face when he did not see Hollypaw.

"Sorrelpaw! Fernpaw! Flamepaw! Hollypaw!" The clans announced, the most loud being Thunderclan.

Flamepaw puffed out her chest, but Onestar glared suspiciously at Bramblestar.

"I do not remember there being a Flamekit." There was an edge to his voice, glancing at Thunderclan. Flamepaw flattened her ears, how come Onestar didn't know? Was she not announced?

"She is a kit of Cinderheart. Do you doubt our words? Do you not remember?" Bramblestar retorted cooly, and Flamepaw felt a bit better.

Onestar simply lashed his tail, and leaped down from the tree. "The gathering is over."

"Bye!" Eaglepaw meowed quickly and bounded away, off to join her clan.

Stonepaw nodded, and padded away, and Thornpaw gave a glance back before quickly returning to his clan.

Flamepaw turned and the group of apprentices began to head back to Bramblestar, and right as they were leaving, Flamepaw felt a prickling feeling, like someone was watching her. She glanced back, watching as a dark tom just looked away and pad back to the Windclan group, which was waiting to cross the bridge. Flamepaw narrowed her eyes, wondering what had happened.

"Flamepaw! Come on!" Brightheart called from the fallen tree. "We can't hold up the other clans!"

"Sorry!" Flamepaw called quickly, and scampered over. Brightheart helped her onto the bridge, and once she landed onto the other side, she turned around to look back at Windclan.

And there the tom was, glaring at her once again. A shiver went down her spine, and she worryingly scrambled back to Brightheart.

And once she caught up with her one-eyed mentor, she quickly muttered something under her breath. "What is with that tom?"

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><p><strong>(Me again! If you haven't guessed yet, Hollypaw is mute. Its a new experiment, and it'll become vital later in the story. Until next time!)<strong>


	6. The Fight

**(Hello once again! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! It really means a lot to me! Criticism is welcome as well, because it helps improve my writing! Also, I'm on Tansy's nominee list for not-so-popular stories! I'd love it if you guys checked it out, but I'm not saying you guys have to vote for me. There are a list of stories there, some of them you guys may want to check out! They're pretty good! And if you like the stories you see, you can PM Tansy and vote for those stories, and then they might be advertised! But once again, I won't say you guys have to vote for me. Its for you guys to check out other cool stories! Though I'm not saying you shouldn't vote for me... :D)**

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><p>"Duck!" Brightheart screached as Hollypaw swung at Flamepaw, almost catching her ears.<p>

Flamepaw crouched low, and darted forward as Hollypaw's forepaws were suspended in the air. Flamepaw butted Hollypaw's legs, and the black she-cat collapsed silently. Flamepaw leaped to her paws, and bolted over to Hollypaw's body.

"Hollypaw? Are you ok? I'm sorry!" She begged, nosing Hollypaw to try and get her to her paws. She heard Bramblestar make a satisfied _humph_. Flamepaw flattened her ears, wondering why Bramblestar sounded proud.

Hollypaw twisted around suddenly, and batted upward with her paws, taking Flamepaw by surprise. Flamepaw fell back, and Hollypaw pounced, forcing Flampaw to give up once Hollypaw had pinned her down by the shoulders.

"Very good Hollypaw!" Bramblestar praised, padding forward to congratulate the black apprentice. Hollypaw looked up at him, happiness and pride swirling within her eyes.

Flamepaw got to her paws, and shook out her pelt. "Aw mouse dung! I almost won!" Flamepaw looked over to her mentor, who had already made her way to Flamepaw.

"Well, almost. But it wouldn't matter in battle." Brightheart's voice was stern as she lectured Flamepaw.

"Well yeah," Flamepaw kicked the ground, feeling glum. She hadn't won a mock battle all day, and all the other apprentices were doing amazing. "Hollypaw is sneaky, Sorrelpaw is strong, and Fernpaw has strong legs. And here I am, not winning anything."

Brightheart flicked her ear in sorrowful understanding. "Well, to be fair, you are the fast one."

Flamepaw merely rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so now I can run away in battle. Just what every Warrior needs."

Frowning, Brightheart stood up. "Come on, let's train one-on-one."

Flamepaw nodded glumly, and crouched down low, waiting for Brightheart's signal.

Sitting in the middle of the clearing, Brigntheart nodded. "Try and pass me, and I'll try and stop you."

Flamepaw's gaze flickered around the clearing. Bramblestar had taken Hollypaw hunting, so there was no obstacles. She returned her focus back to Brightheart, whose muscles were tense as she waited for Flamepaw. Flamepaw stared at Brightheart's right side, and darted forward like lightning. Brightheart's pelt rippled, and she began to move to the right, but Flamepaw quickly veered off to the left, efficiently passing her mentor.

"Very go-" Brightheart began to praise Flamepaw, but the apprentice wasn't finished just yet. As soon as Flamepaw dashed behind Brightheart, She whipped around and pounced on her mentor, hooking her paws around her shoulders.

"Hey!" Brightheart growled, trying to fling the apprentice off. She hurtled towards a tree, and Flamepaw leaped off, landing neatly in the middle of the clearing. Brightheart scowled in a good-humored way. "Oh I see how it is!"

Brightheart charged, hurling herself high into the air. Flamepaw stared up at her mentor, and right before Brightheart landed on her, she darted away, leaving Brightheart to pounce on empty air. Before Brightheart could realize where Flamepaw was, Flamepaw gently gripped Brightheart's tail with her teeth and yanked, causing her mentor to lose her balance and collapse onto the ground. Flamepaw pounced squarely on her shoulders, and gave a yowl of triumph as Brightheart gave up.

"Now that was good." Brightheart shook her head, regaining her senses. "See! I told you that you were fast. You made it so that you struck before I could realize what was happening."

Flamepaw puffed out her chest, proud of herself for taking down her mentor.

Brightheart flicked her tail proudly. "Let's go hunting." She shook out her pelt and bounded into the undergrowth, Flamepaw close behind.

Flamepaw opened her jaws, trying to see what she could scent. "Brightheart!" She whispered, flicking her tail. "I think I smell a shrew." Flamepaw crouched down low, crawling forward slowly on her belly like a snake. There she saw the tiny creature nibbling on some seeds, completely unaware of its fate. A smirk spread across Flamepaw's face, and she pounced, killing the shrew with a swift clean bite. She returned to Brightheart, placing her catch neatly in front of her paws.

"Good. Let's bury it, and we can continue hunting." She ordered, and Flamepaw began to scrape at the ground. Once the whole was big enough, she hastily buried the shrew, eager to continue.

They made their way to the edge of the border, prey being low at this time of leaf-bare.

Brightheart gave out a defeated sigh. "Well, let's head back. We don't want to anger Windclan either by hunting near their border."

Brightheart turned away, beginning to set back with Flamepaw, until they heard a low growl.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

Brightheart and Flamepaw whirled around, Flamepaw's eyes widening in shock once she saw who it was. It was the tom that kept watching her! Flamepaw's pelt bristled in fear as the tom's eyes were burning into her pelt.

"I repeat, what are you doing here?" He snarled, taking a step forward.

"Nothing, Ashtalon. We are heading back now, unless you want to cross our territory." Brightheart threatened, her body tense, as though she would need to pounce momentarily.

Ashtalon flattened his ears, baring his fangs. "Liar! It seemed to me as if you were going to hunt here! And steal our prey!"

Flamepaw glanced nervously between her mentor and Ashtalon. Brightheart's eyes were burning with rage, as if she couldn't believe he would ever suggest that.

"We were hunting, and we came over here to check to see if there was any prey here. Or, make sure a certain Windclan cat wasn't about to threaten our clan!" Brightheart's claws dug into the earthy ground as she leaned forward.

Ashtalon spat, and stormed away into the heather, leaving a fuming Brightheart.

"Ugh! What nerve!" Brightheart hissed, starting stalking back into the undergrowth.

Flamepaw stared into the heather for a moment, and she narrowed her eyes. She could still see some gray flattened against the ground, almost as if...

"Brightheart! Look out!" Flamepaw screeched. Ashtalon hurdled out of the heather, hissing and spitting as he landed on top of Brightheart. He clawed her back, and Brightheart struggled to fling him off. Flamepaw bolted forward, gripping Ashtalon's back leg as tightly as she could. Blood filled her mouth as Ashtalon let out a screech and leaped off of Brightheart to claw Flamepaw away.

"You stupid piece of fox dung!" Ashtalon cursed as he raked his claws over Flamepaw's ears. Blood trickled into Flamepaw's vision, causing her to lose sight momentarily. Flamepaw released her grip, shaking her head to clear her vision. Once the blood was gone, she saw Brightheart locked in an intense battery with Ashtalon. Her claws were tightly digging into his shoulders, and he was snapping at her throat.

_'His belly is_ exposed!'Flamepaw darted underneath Ashtalon, and began to claws at the soft skin. Ashtalon let out a pained cry, and let go of Brightheart. Spitting, hissing, and cursing, he backed up to the border.

"Curse you! Onestar will hear about this! I'll start a war! And I'll kill both of you first!" He swore, and he dashed away, disappearing into the heather for good.

"Good riddance!" Brightheart called after him, and then proceeded to turn to Flamepaw. "Are you alright?" She panted, blood matting her ginger and white coat.

"Yeah," Flamepaw nodded, shaking the blood out of her eyes once more. "But you don't look to good. We need to get to Jayfeather." Flamepaw observed. Brightheart's neck had cuts on them, and her back was covered in blood.

Brightheart nodded solemnly, and lead Flamepaw back into the undergrowth.

"Bramblestar is going to want to hear about this."

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><p><strong>(It is muah again! I loved this chapter, I kept thinking of really intense music! Until next time!)<strong>


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